You might be one of the 23 million people who watched the commercial “Our Blades Are F**ing Great” on YouTube, but did you know that Dollar Shave Club is projected to earn $240 million in revenue for 2016? This niche business rattled the razor industry by introducing a subscription-based razor service. And if you have a beard, then it’s likely you’ve visited Beardbrand.com, a company that earned $120k per month in revenue in less than a year after launch.

Why are niche brands like these thriving online? With the introduction of new technologies, the barriers to entry have decreased significantly for new online businesses. The time and cost to build a direct-to-consumer brand and scale the business has been reduced so drastically that it has had a democratizing effect on just about every industry.

I started my own niche business because I recognized the opportunity to sell books to an underserved market of the book industry: corporate and educational buyers. The introduction of accessible e-commerce systems and affordable advertising platforms leveled the playing field. Even back in 2005 it took just hours to test the market with the launch our first ecommerce site and within days we had a steady stream of customers finding us through
Google Adwords. It was the simple proof of concept we were looking for. Eleven years later, you can now start your own ecommerce business in minutes.

Entrepreneurs across various industries are capitalizing on similar types of opportunities. I sat down with fellow niche brand owner Joe Francisco, CEO of Southern California start-up Medelita, at his embroidery studio to discuss how the company is disrupting the $10-$20B medical apparel industry.

Medelita applies custom embroidery to a client's lab coat.

Medical professional Lara Francisco, PA-C, who also happens to be Joe’s wife, identified a need for high-end, form-fitting and gender-specific medical uniforms. Together, Lara and Joe decided to build a business that would cater to this unserved market. In 2008 they launched Medelita, the first elite medical apparel alternative for discerning consumers who value well-made products and professional appearance. Medelita has shifted the paradigm in medical uniforms and is now growing market share at the institutional level.

Francisco is feeling optimistic. “The opportunities for growth are everywhere, and the level of investment in e-commerce has gone mainstream,” he tells me.“We’re seeing some valuations that are in the same stratosphere as the dot-com era, but with far more traction and much less risk involved.”

Joe’s confidence is palpable, and it’s easy to see why when you stand on the ground floor of the company’s warehouse. Stacks of premium medical scrubs and lab coats pulsate through the embroidery studio before being loaded onto the next UPS shipment. This is as close as it gets to the scene from a factory floor and business is booming. Health care occupations represent one of the fastest growing categories in the U.S. and over 9% of the entire U.S. workforce and yet only a handful of major brands have held control over the sales and distribution of its uniforms for decades.

Over the din of embroidery machines, Joe explains, “We specify everything that goes into our products, right down to the thread, and that level of control extends into the entire supply chain and beyond. We’re not competing for the lowest price against large competitors who design and manufacture their products like another office product that ships with a stapler and some pens.”

With minimal investment and without hiring a sales team, the company grew online through a network of cult-like health care workers interested in looking more professional in front of patients and colleagues. Those same customers seem to be the driving force behind the company’s recent growth, as “physician preference” has forced its way into procurement decisions at some of the nation’s leading integrated hospital systems. “We’re not just an e-commerce brand, we’re not just a uniform company, and we’re not only interested in sustainability. First and foremost, we’re a technology company,” says Joe.

So here’s my challenge to you the reader: If you have an idea for a niche brand that caters to an underserved market, now’s the time to take action.

I am the founder and president of BookPal, an e-commerce bookseller that focuses on enterprise customers such as corporations, school districts, nonprofits and government agencies. I have led BookPal’s growth from a startup to a three-time Inc. 500|5000 honoree, despite the ...